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takemusu t1_j298dmr wrote

Reply to comment by i__jump in My new iPhone was stolen by UPS. by i__jump

If you have the IMEI of the stollen phone you can report it to Verizon’s lost/stollen equipment department. Verizon will put it on their blocked list which instantly and permanently bricks the phone wherever it is, whoever has it, any carrier.

If you somehow got it back, repentant UPS driver let’s say, you and only you, can call Verizon to restore the phone to life.

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paulstelian97 t1_j29bttd wrote

The blocking will only prevent the phone from connecting to any cellular network. It will not stop it from working like an iPod Touch (smart functions and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/..., as in everything that doesn't involve cellular)

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i__jump OP t1_j29rhlj wrote

This is interesting additional information, thank you for contributing this! I didn’t know that. They made it sound like the phone would be completely unable to turn on.

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paulstelian97 t1_j29s63i wrote

The phone will turn on, but cannot connect to a cellular network if you block the IMEI. For iPhones you can lock them up completely if they are registered in your Apple ID via Activation Lock (AKA Find My).

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cyanmind t1_j2cst8t wrote

This only matters in the us. They can be sent to Brazil or China and they’ll work and they typically do go this route.

This theft issue is not a small one, it’s organized.

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paulstelian97 t1_j2d4au9 wrote

It probably should be accounted for in Europe too, but you're right that China probably ignores these requests or doesn't receive them.

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i__jump OP t1_j29rayf wrote

Thank you for this! Verizon says the phone will be blocked and locked. Unfortunately, it seems like whoever stole it is likely to turn around and sell it to an unsuspecting person, which is sad. But, still not my issue. At least I have been refunded :)

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